1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of communications, and in particular, to Internet access.
2. Description of the Prior Art
People seek Internet access for a variety of reasons. The Internet allows persons to send and receive information of many types and in many formats. For example, people use the Internet for sending and receiving e-mail, work, entertainment, communication, collaboration, etc.
A prior art approach to Internet access has been that a user, whether an individual or an employee or agent of an entity, must obtain a network access account from some manner of Internet Service Provider (ISP) in order to access the Internet. The user calls or dials into the ISP using a telephone line and computer modem in order to establish a connection to the network access account. The account may be a periodic account, such as a monthly account. In some cases, the account is an on-demand account, such as through a terminal or kiosk in a public setting.
The prior art approach has several drawbacks. One drawback is that there is generally only one available choice of ISP, unless the user or entity establishes multiple accounts. This is not economically feasible or desirable in most situations. Obtaining multiple accounts would require a user or entity to research ISPs, obtain accounts, and periodically update the ISP research and subscription actions in order to optimize the Internet access. These actions require a significant amount of time, but still would not necessarily ensure a best cost and performance at any time. Consequently, the majority of Internet users subscribe to Internet access on a periodic basis and do not have on-demand access.
Another drawback is that the prior art access is not obtained on the basis of the cost or performance of the ISP (except maybe on a long-term periodic basis). For example, a user may determine that a certain ISP has the best combination of overall price and performance as judged in a monthly or yearly fashion. Moreover, the prior art cannot dynamically select an ISP based on cost and performance feedback received from ISPs.
Another drawback is that the prior art does not provide an automatic ISP selection for users. Even if a user or entity has multiple Internet access accounts, the user must still perform the tasks of researching the ISPs and selecting a current best ISP.